Gold Line service will be suspended Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25 as part of the annual fall rail shutdown. Service will resume Monday, Oct. 26. The Blue Line will not be impacted. Due to road closures, CATS will not run bus bridge service.
Since the Blue Line opened in 2007, the area between Remount Road and Tremont Drive has grown dramatically. The new South End Station will serve this developing community by constructing improvements including:
Image shows upcoming work between Remount Road and Tremont Avenue, and between Dunavant Street and South Boulevard.
South End Station is being built through two main construction contracts: 1) Track and Systems and 2) Station and Civil. Stacy Witbeck is now building the Track and Systems contract, including the track crossing, crossover and modifications to the light rail’s signaling and OCS (electrical) systems and station foundations. Track and Systems construction is focused around three bi-annual rail shutdowns, the next (second) of which is planned for late January. CATS is preparing to advertise the Station and Civil contract with construction anticipated to begin in late spring of 2027.
Image shows a timeline that visually explains that we are currently in the track and systems construction point. Then through the 2027, station construction begins. This will be followed by testing in 2028. The station should be fully operational and aimed to open for service in 2028. This schedule is subject to adjustments as the project progresses.
The southbound station foundation will be built in November. This work will require intermittent daytime closures of the Rail Trail beside Junction 1504, Hawkins Condos and Linea to safely facilitate construction traffic. Construction of the northbound station foundation will follow in December, requiring the temporary closure of the Rail Trail behind Publix and Camden Southline Apartments.
During the construction of both station foundations, trains will be single-tracked, traveling in both directions only on the rail farthest from construction. The new track crossing will remain open, and users are advised to carefully watch for and avoid construction traffic. Private sidewalks and paths connecting to the Rail Trail will remain open to local users and emergency vehicles but may be temporarily closed to thorugh traffic. CATS appreciates everyone's understanding and patience during these closures.
Image shows a map of improvements included in the South End Station project along the Blue Line light rail. The map shows an area along the Blue Line between the Solis Southline Apartments in the south and The Line in the north, and between Dunavant Street and Hawkins Street to the west and South Boulevard to the east. The proposed station platforms are staggered, with the northbound platform alongside the Publix, the southbound platform further north alongside 2173 Hawkins and 2161 Hawkins across from Atherton Lofts, and the crossing in the middle just south of the existing CATS traction power substation. The project includes pedestrian improvements alongside the Publix connecting to South Boulevard and pedestrian improvements between Cortland South End Apartments and 2173 Hawkins connecting to Hawkins Street. South of the station platforms, a track crossover would be added to the section of track alongside the Junction 1504 Apartments. Alongside the crossover, a gap on the rail trail on the east side of the tracks would be filled, with a signal house added alongside.
Email: southendstation@publicinput.com
Phone: 980-580-7502
Mail: Todd Thorne, Engineering Program Manager, 600 E. 4th St., Floor 14, Charlotte, NC 28202
South End Fast Facts(PDF, 24MB)